Determined Love
by Mikee1
Summary: Sequel to 'Desperately.' May finds herself inside a hospital and finds out that Ash is in surgery. Will he survive or will May never get the chance to talk to him? Advanceshipping AshxMay Please R


Well I took into account how many reviews Advanceshipping oneshots usually get around here. Coupled that with the fact that 'Desperately' was rated M and I figured I got enough reviews to do the sequel.

May: Oh please, you wanted to do the sequel all along.

Me: Um, well…that's beside the point. Do you really think I'd be writing 'til 5 AM again if not for those reviews?

Either way, I'd like to thank the people who reviewed and/or favorite story'd 'Desperately.' Without the positive feedback from the community, this sequel wouldn't have been possible, regardless of how much I wanted to write it.

This is the sequel to 'Desperately.' Again, it's Advanceshipping so it's a no-no for dedicated Pokeshippers and Contestshippers. And please, you don't see me posting hateful reviews on any of those shippings. Constructive criticism, even in the form of a flame, is welcome. "POKESHIPPING 4EVER!!!" is not welcome. So please, read and review.

May: Psst, you forgot to do the disclaimer…Hey, he's asleep! Stupid boy. I'll have to do it then. Mikee1 does not own Pokemon, it belongs to Nintendo, GameFreak, and whatever other companies own it.

By the way, you'll need to read 'Desperately' before you read this, as I'm not doing a recap or summary or anything of the sort.

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

_Flashback_ (Italics)

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I was sitting on a bench in a long hallway. I was at the end of it, next to two large double doors. Above the doors was a long red box with a white cross on it. It was lit up, a sign that the doctors behind the door were still working.

I had a blanket around my shoulders and I held myself in my arms. I had been in that position for nearly an hour now. And yet I was still shivering. My whole body had been shaking ever since I had found myself in this hospital. I struggled to remember what had happened after I felt Ash's hand go limp but it was all hazy. I remembered seeing bright flashing lights…

"_Ash, no!" I cried as his hand went limp. I collapsed on top of his body. The rain continued to pour down on us relentlessly. I thought I saw a flashing light but I was too distraught to see anything clearly. Suddenly, there was another flash, and another. They kept flashing different colors but I couldn't discern anything through the rain. I heard a screech and lifted my head up off Ash's chest. But everything was starting to fade into black._

_I saw a large dark shape. It looked like a car. I tried to focus but failed. I saw three shapes get out of the car. They moved toward us._

"_May!" I heard someone call out my name but they sounded far away. I could barely hear them. I tried to keep my eyes open, tried to listen to what they were saying. But my eyelids felt so heavy. Too heavy. They drooped and I let my head fall back down. I closed my eyes._

"_Ash! May!"  
_

_The voice was getting farther away. And then it all stopped._

I had woken up in a hospital bed. I blinked as I stared up at the ceiling, wondering where I was. Then it all came rushing back to me. I bolted up and looked wildly around the room. The first thing I noticed was the other person in the room. The young boy with blue hair was sleeping in a chair. He was holding his head up with his hand, which was propped up against the arm of the chair. But Ash and Brock were missing. I had slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible, trying not to make a sound and wake Max up. As I put my feet on the floor, I noticed I was wearing a white hospital gown. I got up off the bed and nearly fell down. I was weak and my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I grabbed the side of the bed and steadied myself.

'I…have to find out…what happened to Ash.' With this resolve, I straightened up and walked over to the door. I slowly turned the knob and opened it just wide enough for me to slip through. I smiled softly as Max snored. I shut the door and turned around.

My mind was still very mixed up as it took me a full minute to realize I had no idea where Ash was. I didn't even know where I was except that I was in a hospital. A nurse came walking around a corner and toward me. She had long brown hair and looked young, probably in her late twenties.

"Um, excuse me, Miss?" She stopped a few feet away from me.

"Are you supposed to be in your – "

"My friend should've been brought here with me," I burst out, cutting her off. I felt sorry for being rude but I had to know what had happened to Ash and I had to know now. "He w-was in a very serious condition and…and I don't know what h-happened to him." My voice broke and I felt tears come to my eyes again. I looked down at the floor but I could feel the nurse's eyes watching me. I tried to hold back the tears but a few fell onto the floor. "Please. I need to find him." There was silence for a moment. I heard her footsteps move toward me and I looked up at her as she placed her hand on my back.

"I understand. Come with me, we'll find your friend." I could only nod.

I followed her, slipping and stumbling a few times. My body was still trembling as we walked, despite my efforts to hold it still. I followed her through hallways, turning corners. I didn't try to keep track of where we were going. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of Max waking up to find my bed empty.

'I'm sorry Max. But I just can't wait.'

"May!" I was broken out of my thoughts by someone yelling my name. It took a moment for my brain to realize whose voice it was.

"Brock," I said weakly, turning towards the older man's voice. He was running up to me. The nurse turned to him.

"Do you two know each other?" Brock nodded rapidly.

"Yes, she's my friend." He turned to me. "You're looking for Ash, right?" His narrow eyes seemed pained. I nodded, a blank look settling over my face. He turned back to the nurse. "I'll take her," He told the woman. She glanced at me and him.

"Okay." She began to walk away.

"Thank you," I said. She turned around and smiled sweetly.

"You're welcome. I hope your friend is well." And she continued on. I turned back to Brock.

"Ash," I said, my voice still weak, just like the rest of me. Brock frowned. I saw the pain in his eyes again.

"Come with me." We walked down the hallway and he sat down on a bench beside the double doors that led to the Operating Room. The red light above the room was on. I brought my hand up to my mouth.

"So...so he's…"

"He's alive." He motioned for me to sit beside him. I slowly sat down. "But he's in pretty bad shape. He was brought straight in there when we got here. You've been asleep for almost two hours now." He was quiet and I stared blankly at the wall. I had finally stopped shaking. "I'll go grab you a blanket." I didn't acknowledge that I had heard him. He stood up and walked over to the desk, returning in a moment with the blanket. He draped it around my shoulders.

"I'm going to go find Max. Just wait here." And he walked off. I sat there for a few minutes, still staring blankly at the wall, before I started shaking again.

And I sat there for an hour. At least it felt like an hour. Thoughts randomly flew through my mind.

'He's in there because he saved me. Just as he's always saved me before. He's so kind. I love him so much. And…and he said he loves me. Oh Ash. You have to survive. You just _have_ to.' I shook my head. Was this really what I had become all of a sudden?

'No. You will survive, Ash Ketchum. I know you. You won't let this stop you. You still have so many adventures left to go on. You still haven't finished your dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, although you've accomplished so much already. You've always been there for everybody else, caring for them, helping them out. You're so strong. So you won't let this stop you. You're too strong to let this stop you.' My body stopped shaking. I stood up, my blank look turning into one of determination. I turned to face the double doors.

'And I'm right here. I'll always be right by your side, ready to help you up when you fall, just as you've done for me. Just as we've done for each other. You've made me strong too and so together we'll get through this. I know you can do this.'

"You can do it, Ash!" I didn't realize I had said it out loud until well after the words had left my mouth. Normally, I would've clamped my hand over my mouth in embarrassment and tried to act casual. But I didn't care right now.

Suddenly, the red light went off. The double doors opened and a doctor came out with his surgical mask still on. I stared up at him in anticipation. My heart started to beat faster and faster. Nothing else in the world mattered. I waited, holding my breath.

The doctor lowered his surgical mask. And smiled.

"Your friend is going to be fine. He's awake now. We'll be moving him to another room…" I barely heard a word he said.

'He's okay. He's okay. He's okay!!! Oh thank you, thank you so much – '

"May?" I looked up at the voice. It was soft and weak and it was coming from behind the surgeon. I looked around the surgeon and saw the stretcher. I looked at him. I looked into his eyes. His beautiful auburn eyes. I threw myself at him.

"Oh, Ash!" I threw my arms around his neck. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried. This time, they were tears of joy. I felt him stiffen for a second and then he put his arms around me and held me close.

"I­ – I thought I might lose you"

"Shh, it's okay, May. I'm okay. I'm right here. More importantly," He said as he put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me up. He looked into my eyes and I could see concern in his face. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't help but laugh and threw my arms around him again.

"Ash…" Even now, he was more concerned about others. About me. "I'm just fine, Ash. I'm okay too."

"Ash!" We both looked over at the other end of the hallway. Max was running down the hallway, Brock right behind him. "You're okay!" Max shouted as he reached us. Ash grinned. It was weak and he was obviously exhausted. But it was still a grin.

"Of course. You didn't think something like this would stop me, did you?" Tears were running down Max's cheeks and I looked up at Brock to see that tears had welled up in the eyes of the breeder as well.

"Ash," Brock said, his voice cracking up. "I – I'm so glad." I watched as Brock finally couldn't hold back anymore and let the tears fall down his cheeks as well. Ash was now the only one of us who didn't have tear stains on his cheeks. We all hugged him.

"You guys…" We let go and the surgeon and two other doctors wheeled the stretcher down the hall. We walked beside it. Soon enough, Ash was in a bed, wearing a hospital gown just like I was.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was smiling and laughing, the same old Ash. I thought about how angry he had been when he had come to my rescue. I thought about those words he had said as we lay in the rain.

"_I love y – "_

A nurse came in with a tray of food and placed it in front of Ash. As the door closed behind her on her way out, Ash's stomach rumbled loudly. He blushed but then pushed the food away. Then I saw that he was pushing it toward me.

"Here, May. You need to eat more than I – " My instincts took over.

"Oh no you don't. You've been in surgery for the past 3 hours and you think that I'm the one who needs to eat? I don't think so." I pushed the tray back to him. Then I smiled. "But thank you, Ash. Your concern means a lot to me."

Ash glanced over at Brock. The breeder nodded and then took Max's hand and took him over to the door.

"Come on, Max. Let's go find ourselves something to eat."

"But I – " I giggled a little as the door shut behind them and the rest of Max's protests were cut off. Then I looked back at Ash and our eyes locked. I stared deep into his eyes. It must have only been a few seconds but it felt like an hour.

"Ash, why'd you do it?" Confusion spread over his face.

"Huh? Do what?"

"Go out there for me. Fight for me." I felt a single tear roll down my cheek. "Why'd you save me?"

"May, you're my friend. I care about you. And so when you're in trouble, I'll do everything I can to help you out." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I looked into his eyes again.

"Thank you, Ash. Thank you so much." We both fell silent for a minute. Then he spoke.

"May, when we were out there, I tried to tell you. I – I," He looked away, blushing furiously. "I like you as more than a friend. I love you May." I watched silently. "I know you don't love me back though. I'm sorry and I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore."

"Ash," I said softly, walking over to the bed and kneeling beside it. I put my hand on his chin and brought his face up. Our eyes locked. "You've just made me the happiest girl in the world. I love you too. I really, truly love you with all my heart."

"May, I…I feel the same way." He paused for a second. "Except for the 'being the happiest girl in the world' part." Grins broke across our faces and seconds later we were both laughing. After a minute of being unable to stop laughing, I panted and looked back at him.

"Do you really mean that? What you said?" He asked. His eyes were hopeful. I smiled.

"Yes. I do." His eyes brightened. He put his hand on my cheek. It felt so natural as we leaned in. I closed my eyes as he closed his and our lips met. I became absorbed by the kiss. It was passionate, full of love. I put my hands on the back of his head and drew him closer. I never wanted it to end. But eventually, we both needed air and we broke the kiss. We were both breathing heavily.

"W-wow," Ash said. I laughed a little.

"Yeah. Wow." We were silent for a minute, watching each other. Then we leaned in again, faster than before, and kissed again.

The door opened and I heard footsteps. I jumped back and Ash pulled away but it was too late.

"Ew!" Max screamed, pointing back and forth between us. "Ash, why would you want to kiss my sister? That's gross!" I could feel my face go beet red and I glanced over at Ash, seeing that his face was in the same state. Both of us tried to say something but nothing coherent came out. Brock laughed.

"Come on, Max. Let's let them be alone for now."

"But – "

"Don't worry, I'll explain it to you." Brock led the young boy out of the room and looked back just in time to see both Ash and I mouth a silent 'Thank you' to him. He smiled and closed the door behind him.

I walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. Ash looked up at me and smiled one of his kind, caring, heartwarming smiles. I couldn't help but smile in return.

"So, are we…y'know…boyfriend and girlfriend now?" He asked, sounding a bit uncertain. I laughed, remembering how little Ash knew when it came to love.

"Hm…" I put my finger on my chin. "Well, we'll have to travel together."

"May." I was taken by surprise as he took my hand in his. "I never want to be away from you again. I'll always travel by your side." My smile widened. I threw my arms around his neck once more.

"Oh, thank you so much, Ash…my boyfriend." I could feel his blush against my cheek. He put his arms around me. Light filled the room and we both looked to the window to see that the clouds had cleared away and the sun was rising, casting an orange glow across the city and into the room.

I didn't know what exactly the future would hold for us. But as I sat there in his arms, I knew we would face every new challenge together. And with such an amazing guy by my side, I felt a new determination, as though I could overcome anything.

'Drew, Harley…you'd better watch out.'

And then I looked back at Ash and leaned in for another passionate kiss.

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Well, there you have it. I hope you liked it. I certainly enjoyed writing it. It was nice to write something happy. And that's why this is a separate story from 'Desperately. Since this was considerably happier, I didn't want to take away from the emotions I tried to emphasize in 'Desperately,' so I put the sequel up separately.

Now I mentioned this at the end of 'Desperately' too but haven't gotten any replies yet. In order to start my retelling of the Hoenn saga, I need to know where May entered Contests and which ones she won. I also need to know where Ash and May and Brock caught their Pokemon in the Hoenn region.

Anyways, please take a moment and review. Any feedback is useful. A good amount of reviews makes writing fics so much easier. And so until next time, sayonara.


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